Chalk line box



June 12, 1956 K, LANDON 2,749,618

CHALK LINE BOX Filed March 18, 1952 2% as \w F1 F1 INVENTOR.

United States Patent CHALK LINE BOX Robert K. Landon, Costa Mesa, Califi, assignor to Strait- Line Products, Costa Mesa, Calilh, a corporation of California Application March 18, 1952, Serial No. 277,315

2 Claims. (Cl. 33-87) This invention relates to chalk-line boxes of the type disclosed in the copending application, Serial No. 116,488, filed September 19, 1949, by John R. Thomson and Robert K. Landon, and since matured as Patent No. 2,589,500.

With allchalk-line boxes, there arises the problem of how to insert the powdered chalk which is the marking element of the box. Nearly'all boxes known to me are filled by the removal of a lid which constitutes one complete side of the box, a large aperture of the kind being necessary in, order to insert in the: box the string-reel and other internal mechanism. Such a method of filling the box with chalk was, indeed, contemplated in the disclosure made in the aforesaid joint application by myself and Thomson. Finely pulverized chalk will easily escape through any opening not provided with a tight seal; and the contours of chalk-line boxes and the presence of reels and reel handles make difficult if not impossible the provisions of filling apertures which do not require for tight closure practically as much apparatus, gaskets, machined screw-threads and the like as are required to seal the lid to the box.

It is an object of this invention to provide a simple, inexpensive, and effective chalk-filling opening and closure therefor in a chalk-line box.

A further object of this invention is to provide a chalkline box which may be filled without removal of the boxlid and in which the filling aperture does not interfere with drawing the string from the box or with operating the string-reel.

Another object of this invention is to provide, in combination with a box of pyriform Outline, a chalk-filling aperture and closure therefor so placed and constructed as will assist in gripping the box by hand.

In the accompanying drawing, illustrative of a presently preferred embodiment of my invention,

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a chalk-line box of the type disclosed in said application, Serial No. 116,488, showing a closure for a filling aperture in a position in which it assists manual operation of the box;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the same box;

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the closure; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the shape of the aperture.

Having reference to the details of the drawing, a chalkbox 5 has walls 6 and 7 of generally pyriform shape forming the top and bottom surfaces of the box, and side walls 8 and 9. The walls 6, 7, 8 and 9 define a wide circular central portion 10, housing a string reel 11, and the side walls extend tangentially-to this central portion and convergently toward the ends of the box. Preferably the end 12 of the box is farther from the center of the portion than the other end and at least one of the side walls, herein designated 8, has a flat exterior surface 13 between its tangential position and the box-end 12. The shape of the box permits the interior to serve as a reservoir for a substantial quantity of chalk, as well as a housing for the reel 11. The chalk-string 14 emerges from the, box through an orifice 15 in the end 12, passing first between felts 16 held adjacent the. end 12 by a transverse Wall 17.

The axis 20 of the reel 11 extends through the wall 6 and has a pivotally attached crank 21 for winding the reel. The crank 21 is preferably of such length that its handle 22 may extend just beyond the side walls 8 and 9 at the widest central part of the box. Thus when. the crank is turned over on its pivot joint 23 so that the handle 22 is turned toward the box, the tangential portions of the side Walls 8 and 9 will engage the handle 22 to prevent rotation of the reel. A well 24 may also be provided in the wall 6 to receive the handle 22.

At a position in the flat, tangential portion 13 of the wall 8, preferably beyond the orbit of the handle 22, I provide an elongated orifice 25 which has a circular central portion 26, this orifice admitting to the box 5 for filling the box with chalk. As a seal for the orifice 25, I provide a closure 27 so constructed that it may also assist manually holding the box. The closure 27 has a plate 28' which fits within the elongated orifice 25, to which is riveted by rivets 29 a locator disk 30 which fits within. the circular orificel portion 26 A raised flange 31 on; the plate 28 engages the; fiat sidewall portion 13 marginally of theorifice 25 onthe outersideof therwall 8, and may have tabs 32 to assist in turning the closure. A leaf spring 33, also held by the rivets 29 and having turned down corners 34, extends transversely of the plate 28 just beyond the margins of the disk 30.

The closure 27 may be sealed to the orifice 25 by centering the disk 30 in the circular orifice portion 26, with the closure held transversely of the orifice 25, and then turning the closure ninety degrees. The down-turned corners 34 of the leaf spring 33 will then engage the inner sides of the margins of the orifice 26, holding the plate 28 within the orifice 25 and the flange 31 in sealing engagement with the flat wall portion 13.

Not only does placement of the orifice 25 in the fiat wall portion 13 provide a convenient filling point for chalk, but the closure 27 at that position assists in gripping the box by hand. Chalk upon the hands or upon the metal box tends to create a slippery, insecure grip. As will be apparent from Fig. 1, the box 5 may not be conveniently enclosed in the fingers because allowance must be made for rotation of the crank 21 and handle 22. It becomes necessary then to grip the box with the thumb and fingers on the side walls 8 and 9. The flange 31 around the plate 28, and the rivets 29 in the center of the plate do not extend materially from the plane of the flat wall 13, yet the closure as a whole presents an irregular surface slightly recessed in the center, upon which the thumb naturally falls, obtains a grip and prevents accidental rotation of said closure. Conversely, the natural tendency to seek the best grip upon the box keeps the thumb out of the way of the revolving crank.

It is to be understood that changes consistent with the appended claims may be made in details of my invention without departure from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the protection which I desire to claim.

I claim:

1. In a chalk-line box having a wide portion and a tapering portion adapted to be gripped by fingers and thumb when the wide portion is held in the palm of the hand and having a chamber in said tapering portion for holding marking material, the improvement which comprises: means defining an orifice in a wall of said tapering portion admitting to said chamber and elongated in the direction in which said box tapers and having a circular central enlargement; and a closure for said orifice having a flange adapted to overlay the outer surface of said wall marginal to said orifice, a depressed elongated central portion adapted to enter said orifice, a circular disk portion secured to said central portion and adapted to enter said enlargement as a locator, and tongue means secured to said disk portion adapted to underlie the inner surface of said wall marginal to said orifice for holding said closure in said orifice when rotated to a position transversely to said orifice and to release said wall when rtated to a position in the lengthwise direction of said elongated orifice, said depressed central portion providing a recessed finger grip and preventing accidental rotation of said closure by pressure of a finger placed therein.

2. In an elongated chalk box, a Wall opening for filling said box and a closure for said opening, comprising: wall means lying in one plane and defining an orifice having a central circular portion and having extensions of slightly less diameter than said circular portion extending diametrically oppositely to form an elongated opening enlarged at its center, and a closure comprising an elongated pan-shaped member having a fiange arranged to over-lie the outer surfaces of said wall means marginal to said orifice and an elongated central depressed portion of the same width as said extensions and arranged to fit at its ends in said extensions, said orifice and said pan-shaped member extending lengthwise of said chalk box and said depressed portion having sufiicient depth and size to afford a finger-hold for a person holding said chalk box, a disk secured to the under side of said depressed portion and having approximately the same diameter as said central portion of said orifice so as to serve as a locator and pivot for said closure in said orifice, and a leaf spring member secured to said disk having end portions extending laterally beyond said disk and normal to the longitudinal axis of said depressed portion for engaging the inner surfaces of said wall means so as to resiliently urge said depressed portion into said elongated opening when the alignment of said depressed portion so permits and to hold said flange tightly against the outer surfaces of said wall means.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 188,197 Simpson Mar. 6, 1877 660,672 Vernon Oct. 30, 1900 873,686 Sharp Dec. 10, 1907 978,064 Sayles Dec. 6, 1910 1,569,881 Reid Jan. 19, 1926 1,593,846 Reid July 27, 1926 1,735,056 Richey Nov. 12, 1929 1,923,337 Stant Aug. 22, 1933 2,160,496 Fullmer May 30, 1939 2,327,431 Jicha Aug. 24, 1943 2,398,805 Pomeroy Apr. 23, 1946 2,505,653 Shillman Apr. 25, 1950 FOREIGN PATENTS 229,037 Germany Nov. 29, 1910 247,464 Switzerland Dec. 16, 1947 

